A nuisance caller is back behind bars after he dialled 999 another 152 times in the space of just four months.

Dominic Thomas's hoax calls since he was released from prison in February this year has cost East Midlands Ambulance Service - and taxpayers - £5,942.

Thomas, from Ashby, had previously sentenced to 19 weeks in prison in December last year for misuse of the 999 service.

He pleaded guilty to the persistent use of a public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday June 6.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a constable in their line of duty.

Thomas was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, and told to pay £115 to victim services and £85 court costs.

Joanne Munro, frequent callers clinician for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said that despite the police working with Thomas on his release from prison in February to secure better accommodation and support for him, Emas was left with no choice but to prosecute him.

Five ambulances were sent to Thomas after he dialled 999

She said: “There are many patients who repeatedly call 999 and our team is often able to intervene and work with our local NHS and social care partners and police to understand why the patient is frequently calling and put pathways in place to make sure their health needs are met in a different way.

“We have tried to support Mr Thomas by working with the police and probation.

“Unfortunately, in the end we had to give statements to the police regarding his calls because they were a danger to the public as he was calling so frequently and preventing people with genuine emergencies from getting through to us.”

Ms Munro added: “We would urge people again to make the right 999 call and only phone us in a life threatening emergency.

“We will continue to prosecute those who misuse our service to ensure that the support is there for those who need it in a real medical emergency.”

Since being identified as a frequent caller in February 2015, Thomas has called Emas a total of 1,137 times.

A care plan was put in place in February 2015 to reduce the number of times he receives an ambulance.